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There is loneliness and then there is a loneliness of the soul.The loneliness of the soul is a deep down kind of isolation that makes us feel alone in sometimes desperate always discouraging ways.One of the crazy things about this loneliness of the soul is that we can experience it even while we are surrounded by people.

As David opens this Psalm, I am more than convinced that he is struggling with this loneliness of the soul.In fact, the loneliness he is experiencing even includes the fact that God seemed far, far away.

In verse 2, we find that David is left alone to wrestle with his own thoughts.While there are times we should wrestle with our own thoughts, there are other times when those thoughts take us to even more difficult places.

When we get to verses 3-4, we find David continuing to cry out to God.Even in the midst of this season of the loneliness of his soul, David has not given up on God.He knows God is there even if it might feel like He is not.Remember our feelings can lie to us.We need to operate out of the truth that we know instead of what we feel.

David continues to plead for an answer from God for a couple of reasons.One, he needs to hear from God.Two, he doesn’t want his enemies to get the upper hand in this situation and gloat over David’s demise.

And then we come to the last two verses of this short Psalm.And it seems like everything has made a 180 degree turn.As Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may last through the night but joy comes in the morning”.The times of our loneliness are replaced with joy of our relationships.

David trusts in God’s steadfast love or loyal love.The NIV calls this an unfailing love.As we have seen in other Psalms, this loyal love is actually is actually a covenant love.It is the love God has for us that causes Him to initiate a covenant with us.In the Old Testament that covenant revolved around the Law.In the New Testament that covenant revolves around Jesus.Just remember this covenant love is a never ending love.

As David thinks about how God chose to have this personal relationship with him, his loneliness is replaced with joy.The thoughts he was struggling with turned to praise.

David ends this Psalm with the great truth that God had been good to him.That is a great truth to carry around all day.God has been good.And because God has been good, we have great hope that He will be good.

This Psalm opens with a plea of “Help” or “Save”.This time David is not necessarily asking God to help him or save him from wicked, evil men who would do him harm.This time David appears to be more concerned for the nation and particularly those who have been horribly taken advantage of (see verse 5).

From David’s perspective it is as if all the good people have vanished.The word “Godly” in verse one comes from a Hebrew word that refers to a covenant loyalty.Remember the nation of Israel was in a covenant relationship with God.The boundaries and requirements of that covenant were established by the Law that God had graciously given them.Among other things that Law would have required honesty and gracious concern.

Instead David said everyone was lying to everyone else.They were flattering each other.They were being deceitful in their dealings with others.And they were convinced they could get just about anything done that they wanted done by talking their way through it.Interestingly enough, James warns us of the possibility of this in the New Testament.He tells us of the incredible power and influence our words have.And he warns us to learn to “tame our tongues”

David has a little different approach to the problem.In verse 3 he tells God to just cut their lips off.It may be that this is a metaphorical request for God to stop their lying.Or it may have been a very real request.The Message version of the Bible translates this as “Slice off their lips and pull their braggart tongues from their mouths”.How is that for Christian love and concern?

Regardless of what David was asking, his focus soon changes in this Psalm.In verse 5, he sees God arising to care for and protect the poor and the needy.

And in contrast, David sees the words of the Lord as very different from those of the unrighteous that we have already considered.He says God’s words are pure or flawless or clean.In fact, they are so flawless it is as if they had been refined in the refiner’s fire seven times.Seven, of course, is the number of perfection or completeness in the Bible.So God’s words are perfectly or completely pure.

Finally David collects himself and his thoughts.He comes to the conclusion that God will keep or protect the poor and needy that have been taken advantage of by those who have lied their way into prosperity.

We cannot always trust what men say.Indeed with some men, we shouldn’t trust anything they say.But when it comes to the Lord, we can have complete trust and confidence in every word He speaks.The complete perfection of His words is a solid, trustworthy foundation for our lives.